News from King County Transportation
Release date:
Oct. 27,
2004
Metro Transit says goodbye to George
Benson,
father of the Waterfront Streetcar
Streetcar rides will be free Saturday, Oct. 30 in his honor
King County and Metro Transit
employees were saddened to learn of the Oct. 25 death of George Benson, one
of public transit’s biggest boosters and the “father” of the Waterfront
Streetcar in downtown Seattle.
In his honor, Metro will be
offering free rides on the
George Benson Waterfront Streetcar all day on Saturday, Oct. 30.
“George Benson was one of the most
passionate supporters of public transportation this region has ever seen,”
said King County Director of Transportation Harold Taniguchi. “He was always
buying Metro ticketbooks to give away as incentives to get more people on
the bus. We invite the community to honor that memory on Saturday by taking
a free ride on the streetcar.”
Benson, 85, was a Seattle City councilmember
from 1974 to 1993, and a member of the old Metro Council before the agency
merged with King County. In those roles, Benson took the lead in supporting
countywide bus service, and construction of the Downtown Seattle Bus
Tunnel. He initiated Sunday bus service connecting Seattle’s major parks,
Pioneer Square and the ship canal locks. He also played a key role in
negotiating an agreement with the Urban Mass Transit Administration to
rebuild and expand Metro's electric trolley system in Seattle. In
recognition of his legacy, he was inducted into the American Public
Transportation Association’s Hall of Fame in 1997.
“George Benson was not only a transportation
visionary, but he also knew how to roll up his sleeves and make things
happen,” said King County Executive Ron Sims.
Of all the projects he sponsored, Benson is
most closely associated with Metro's Waterfront Streetcar. It began with his
dream to reinstate the historic streetcar line. With single-minded
dedication, Benson tracked down vintage streetcars in Melbourne, Australia
and bought them for $5,000 each. He recruited hundreds of volunteers to
restore and transport them across the Pacific Ocean. When obstacles were
encountered, Benson kept everyone “on track,” and never let the project be
derailed.
Service began along the 1.6-mile line on
May 29, 1982, and since then the Waterfront Streetcar has provided residents
and tourists with convenient, fun transportation and a moving history
lesson. Benson has been universally proclaimed as the "Father of the
Waterfront Streetcar," and in June 2002 Metro named the line in Benson’s
honor.
“George was a special person to the riders
and employees of King County Metro Transit,” said former Metro General
Manager Rick Walsh. “He was very proud of the agency and the relationship it
had with riders. He loved the public meetings and people's ideas to improve
the service. If they had a complaint, he would make it a point to see the
problem first hand and would often take staff to look over the problem and
see what solutions might be found.”
Benson wasn't afraid to get
his hands dirty either. For years, he would make weekly trips down to the
waterfront walking the streetcar route to pick up litter or do little things
like touching up the paint on one of the cars.
“Metro employees – especially
our streetcar crews – loved to see him coming, they knew he cared not only
about the service they delivered but also about them,” said Walsh. “He was
very proud of the system he helped build. Everyone will miss George
tremendously.”
For
information about Waterfront Streetcar (Route
99) service, visit Metro Online;
or call Metro Rider Information at (206) 553-3000.
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